++ In a press statement, US Rep. Ileana Ros-Lehtinen (R-FL), Chairman of the Subcommittee on the Middle East and North Africa, embarrassingly refers to Maryam Rajavi as ‘Maryam’ as though the two are BFF, and describes the woman responsible for thousands of deaths as a human rights advocate. Ros-Lehtinen then goes on to, unintentionally perhaps, reveal that her best use of the MEK is as a stick to beat the government of Iraq and the UN with. While careful not to attribute blame to the GOI – as do the MEK – for the September attack on Camp Liberty she declared ,”These parties – the Government of Iraq and the UN – made promises of security, but these promises have yet to be fulfilled, as is evidenced by the hundreds of protective T-walls that have yet to be installed despite assurances that they would go up and the inability of the parties to bring those accountable to justice.”… While mentioning the seven MEK members allegedly missing from Camp Ashraf Ros-Lehtinen makes no mention of the 42 surviving eye witnesses who are incarcerated incommunicado inside Camp Liberty.
++ Many people on the web this week have joined the demand for the UN to investigate the murder of ex member Massoud Dalili in Camp Ashraf. Evidence is emerging that he was imprisoned there and has more than likely been killed by the MEK and the disfigurement to his body (uniquely among the victims) was an attempt to destroy evidence.
++ This week marked the anniversary of death of Takhti, the legendary wrestler during the reign of the Shah who was widely admired for his sporting ethic and for helping people and charities. Much has been written in Persian against what they describe as the “opportunistic support of Rajavi”, and through examples writers have concluded that there is no relevance between the activities of the cult leaders and their abuse of human rights with Takhti and his passion for humanitarian ethics.
++ Baghdad has officially welcomed the appointment of Ban Ki Moon’s new special representative and her role in moving the MEK out of Iraq. Baghdad said any help in getting rid of this terrorist organisation by anyone and for any reason is most welcome. Observers, however, believe that the sticking point rests with the MEK’s American backers, specifically the Pentagon, who do not want this terrorist organisation to be dismantled. Hence they are trying to move them all together to another closed camp as hostages, something that European countries do not accept.
++ Following on from a revelation in a Bulgarian article earlier this month, both Voice of Russia and 21st Century Wire wrote about attempts by the United States to negotiate the en masse transfer of the residents of Camp Liberty to a new camp in Romania. Russian expert in Oriental Studies Boris Dolgov said “Washington’s plan to deploy the Islamists in Romania is inappropriate at the very least”, and elaborates, “If the Romanian leaders have certain doubts, and they will certainly question the correctness of the decision, then they should stiffly oppose the move. The organization acts against Iran, Tehran sees it as terrorist, Mujahedin-e Khalq is known for numerous terrorist attacks and life attempts. Besides, the US plan is at variance with the recent trend towards improving relations between Washington and Tehran. Also, a presence of Islamic militants will serve to aggravate tension in the region. It’s obvious that peaceful coexistence with the people of other religions is the last thing the Islamists will think of when arriving in Romania”. So far, the US attempts have proved futile, even though Romania heavily depends on Washington.
++ After declaring support for Rajavi and the MEK during announcements for the “Islamic government of Iraq and Syria”, an off-shoot of Al Qaeda which is engaged in fighting the Iraqi Government in Al Anbar province, many have written in Farsi about reasons Rajavi must support Al Qaeda as well as the remnants of the Saddam regime in Iraq and Syria. As much as Rajavi has tried to change master and become a western supported mercenary, until he is in full possession of such support he dare not let go of the vital life saving support he gets from the Saddamists office in Jordan, in particular the Ezzat Ebrahim branch of insurgents and Saddam’s own daughter.
++ This week many have written open letters to Romanian politicians warning them of the formation of a new lobbying committee in their parliament after America started putting pressure on Romania to accept them. Many comparisons have been made with the lobbying committees in the European Parliament and the Houses of Parliament in the UK and the problems they have caused in these establishments’ international relations especially with Iraq.
++ Families of Camp Liberty residents have asked for the names of those injured in the December attack on the camp to be made public. The MEK reacted by labelling the families as ‘agents of Iran’ who want sensitive information. Commentators have responded by pointing out that the injured are in Iraqi hospitals and since Rajavi claims Iraq is a subsidiary of Iran then there is nothing secret for Iran. The families this week have turned to the UN, particularly the UNHCR to ask for their help in discovering the names of the injured.
++ This week Rajavi and the MEK have on a daily basis posted announcements on Facebook and secondary sites rather than in their official sites, warning that the Iraqis want to attack us. In one of these they claim that Iraqi security have climbed the walls of the camp to take pictures. This is while Iraqi forces have been in charge of the camp even before they moved the MEK there. Writers about this are warning that this is another attempt to kill more hostages and blame Iraq for it. Interestingly in all the MEK propaganda there is not a single instance of a demand for getting out of Iraq, instead they and their benefactors in the Israeli lobby and House of Representatives in Washington ask for the expansion of the camp, and demand that the American army be brought in to protect them and all other sorts of peculiar and impossible demands to bide time to kill and get rid of as many people and witnesses as possible.
++ Iraqi media outlets have reported that the British parliamentarians who visited Iran met with the families of MEK terrorism and quote Jack Straw, former British Foreign Secretary, describing the MEK as a terrorist group, while another delegate said it is possible that the MEK be put back on the British terrorism list. Iraqi media also reported on interviews with former high ranking MEK members who have given evidence of the MEK massacre of Kurdish people to quell their uprising against Saddam in the 1990s.
++ Swearing on Rajavi’s paid sites and outlets against their internal critics has continued to the point that many outsiders are now reminding the group that this kind of behaviour against their own members and internal critics cannot be in their favour and the effect of this line of action which was intended to make others afraid of talking is wearing thin and in fact has the opposite effect.
++ It was reported that after Deputy Assistant Secretary of State Brett McGurk visited and spoke directly with members of the MEK in Camp Liberty, the diplomat stressed the urgency of relocating the residents to another country. Since then the MEK have refrained from swearing at the US State Department. but have not mentioned the visit on their sites either. Commentators believe that because the US representative asked them to cooperate and move individually, Rajavi has panicked, and the MEK are now working with AIPAC to intervene and stop them being removed from Iraq and reintegrated into normal society. Many believe that now Rajavi has seen how people have left immediately after arriving in Tirana, he is now determined not to let the rest of the hostages get out of his hands.
17 January 2014